This study investigates the influence of oral fructose on Blood Ethanol Elimination Rate (BEER)
and the effect of glucose and fructose co-administration on ethanol-induced changes in blood/tissue lipids and
hepatic microstructure in experimental rabbits. Thirty-five male adult New Zealand white rabbits were
purchased and separated into five experimental groups (n = 7 per group). The groups were given orange juice
(control group), ethanol, ethanol + glucose, ethanol + fructose, and ethanol + glucose and fructose, once daily
for 15 weeks. Blood samples were analyzed for lipids at 0 (basal), 5th, 10th and 15th week of exposure. BEER
was however, determined after seven days of allowing the animals to acclimatize to feed and the animal house
environment. Tissue lipids and hepatic microstrcture were examined at the end of the 15-week exposure.
Standard reagents, instruments and procedures were used at the different stages of the experiment. Results show
that fructose and fructose + glucose administrations significantly (p<0.05) increased BEER by 46.1% and
50.6%. Fructose + glucose co-administration progressively increased the blood triacylglycerol (TAG) levels
in ethanol fed rabbits at the 5th (0.68±0.03 mmol/L), 10th (0.75±0.07 mmol/L; p<0.05) and 15th (0.92±0.04
mmol/L; p<0.05) week of exposure when compared with the basal (0 week) value (0.56±0.02 mmol/L). TAG
also accumulated in the livers of fructose + glucose co-treated animals (1.86±0.031 mmol/L; p<0.05; control:
0.362±0.016 mmol/L) at the end of the 15 week treatment period. The hepatic microstructures for ethanol,
ethanol + fructose, and ethanol + glucose and fructose - treated rabbits showed evidence of fatty hepatitis. The
hypothesis of adding glucose to the administration of fructose in rabbits receiving ethanol treatment is
ineffective because it increases the liver tissue levels of TAG and affects the healthiness of the animals.